HOCKFORD-FIPPENENY AND TOOZIE

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22883, 2 December 1939, Page 17

HOCKFORD-FIPPENENY AND TOOZIE

SOME months ago, on a trip to a little village near Clacton-on-Sea, I stopped to inquire the way of an ancient rustic. ? “Can you tell me, please,” I queried, “where St. Osyth is?” “Never ’earn of it,” he replied emphatically. But feeling that I must be near my destination I remarked, “It’s Mr

“Oh, ,‘im!” The old fellow’s face lighted up. “Why bless me I works for ’im. It be Toozie you wants. That’s what we Calls it hereabouts. Toozie.” And he ambled oil muttering something about Saint Osyth! It is not enough that three different languages be spoken in England, and that each language be subdivided into dialects; but further to mystify the motorist, cyclist, and hiker, ■ countless place-names have their local pronunciation. In many instances these have not - the remotest connexion with the spelling. In north Dorset is the little, town of Okeford-Fitzpaine. The local rendering of this is Hockford-Fip-peneny. Legend. has it that a baby was found on the heights between the parishes of Okeford-Fitzpaine ( Okeford-Fippeneny ), Shillingstone (Shilling-Okeford) and Childe-Oke-ford. The latter parish adopted the orphan and the other two con--1 tributed a shilling and five pence respectively towards its upkeep. In most cases research produces even less evidence for the existence of local pronunciations. It appears likely that many result from the warping, twisting, slurring, and shortening of the original names through centuries of usage. Devon’s “Buvvy" (marked on the ordnance map as Bovey Tracey), Woolsery (Woolfardisworthy) gnd Stoketined (Stokeinteighead)' may be the results of shortening names by local inhabitants for ease-sake. The same reason might be advanced for Shropshire’s Ratlinghope, pronounced locally Ratchup. ~ . Leicestershire, especially in the Charnwood Forest district, is rich in strange pronunciations. According to the “Parochial History of

(BPECIAU? VHITTEN SOB THB PBSCB.)

[By FRANK ILLINGWORTH]

Charnwood” (published IB 1848) there are 10 and 11 ways of pronouncing Ulvescroft and Quorndou, while Barrow-upon-Soar is repre-. sented locally by the names Baroo, - Barwe and Barwa,, ’, - Suffolk and Norfolk.are also rich in local pronunciations. In the latter county the motorist or hiker, will come' across Great - Hautbois pronounced Great Hobbis, Hunstanton pronounced Huriston, Costessey,. Cossy, and Garbolidsham pronounced Garblesham, while Botesdale is known as Budsalh . . .. As one moves northwards,; towards the Border Country,- the strangeness of local pronunciations . becomes more noticeable. Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland provide us with many amusing cxciinpl6Si ■ . ; Northumberland’s Ulgham, pronounced Uffham, is no more strange to southern ears than Cumberland’s. Aspatria which is pronounced Speatry: in the latter county are also to be found the following places, ' the spelling being given first* the pronunciation following: Abbeytown, T’abba; Bothel, Bwall; Torpenhowj Trdppennah; and Blennerhasset, Blinraicet. • • ~ - But it is not until one crosses the ->> Border that the full strangeness of the local pronunciation falls upon one. ■ ' ''. In many cases the correct Ggjslie spelling appears to the Englishman . as having absolutely no connexion with the pronunciation. _ Take for instance, Beinn Fhada. This is pronounced Ben Attow, the “Fh” being silent. The pronunciation nf Milngayie is % as nothing when compared with that of the simple little place of Benn Venue, the Gaelic spelling of which is Beinn Mheadoinnaidh! The“Bh'V is pronounced “V,” and the'initial “Mh” pronounced “V”, too. To reduce the difficulty to be experienced by Englishmen travelling in Scotland, ordnance maps show both, spellings. There is one more example of Scottish pronunciation which I cannot resist giving. It is the little Cromarty village of Avoch, pronounced locally Och.